Inauguration De La Salle Erlanger Speech By David Lisnard C MdcIn today’s demanding environment, you need to be able to draw on solid skills, proven experience and a keen sense of the public interest. Nicolas Gorjux has all these qualities. His background, his negotiating skills, his mastery of financial and legal issues, but also his reliability, discretion, rigour and exemplary attitude make him a particularly legitimate and solid choice to support the future of the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès and, more broadly, the influence of Cannes.
It is with great emotion, gravity and a great sense of responsibility that I accept this mission. I am fully aware of the demands it makes, against a backdrop of far-reaching geopolitical, economic and environmental changes. My method is well known: rigour, commitment and a desire to get to the bottom of the issues. On the strength of my professional experience with company directors, whom I support every day through my work in their development on strategic issues, I will put all my energy into serving the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès and the reputation of Cannes.
From now on, Nicolas Gorjux’s mission is to boost the appeal of Cannes as a destination by relying on the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès de Cannes, the key to the Côte d’Azur’s prosperity and a European leader in business tourism.
With sales of 55 million euros by 2025, the Palais is Europe’s leading convention centre in terms of sales, number of accredited professionals and number of days occupied, ahead of international destinations such as Barcelona, London and Paris.
This top European ranking is the culmination of a long-term strategy based on :
– A structured events policy,
– Cannes’ growing strengths in terms of urban planning, safety and the environment,
– infrastructure performance,
– operational excellence and innovation,
– the quality of the teams,
– mastery of the hosting of major events and the overall appeal of the destination in perfect synergy with the socio-professionals.
Nicolas Gorjux, 53, is a Corporate Account Manager at BNP Paribas. There, he assists SMEs, ETIs and major international groups with their financing, development, cash management, shareholding and environmental transition issues, in direct contact with economic realities and growth strategies.
At the same time, he has been 1st deputy mayor of Cannes since 2020, in charge of finance and tourism. In this role, he plays a key role in developing, steering and controlling the city’s budget strategy, while at the same time ensuring the destination’s attractiveness.
He has long been involved in the management of local public action, and also contributes to the monitoring of key projects for the municipality.
As part of this, he is helping to develop new forms of cooperation with private partners and associations, particularly in the field of sport, focusing on structuring, infrastructure development and responsible transformation.
With this dual experience, at the crossroads of economic, financial and institutional issues, Nicolas Gorjux brings recognised expertise, a solid management culture and a demanding vision of regional development to Cannes.
His appointment as Chairman of the SEMEC is based on all these assets, in the service of the reputation of the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès and the attractiveness of Cannes.
Members of the SEMEC Board of Directors
The new members of the SEMEC Board of Directors are: David LISNARD, Jean-Michel ARNAUD, Sandrine BERGERE-MORANT, Grégori BONETTO, Eric CATANESE, Nicolas GORJUX, Karl GUIFFRAY, Anne LEROY, Sophie MAMAN, Véronique PIEL, Anny COURTADE (private director) and Charles RICHEZ (private director).
The Palais des Festivals et des Congrès de Cannes in 2025
– 168 events, including 79 trade conventions;
– 340 days of operation;
– 380,000 accredited professionals;
– 561,828 overnight stays generated;
– 1.2 billion in economic spin-offs for Cannes’ socio-professionals;
– 54.9 million euros in sales.
The Palais des Festivals et des Congrès de Cannes is Europe’s leading convention centre in terms of sales, ahead of international destinations such as Barcelona, London and Paris.
